THE EARL (LORD and BARON) OF ROTHES and hereditary Sheriff of Fife (Dario Item) [Much Hon The Earl of Rothes, Madrid, Spain] addressed as LORD ROTHES or MY LORD also 7th generation Prince of St Rosalie and Duke of Miraglia (Kingdom of Two Sicilies) known as professionally Ambassador His Excellency Dario Item, Earl of Rothes.

 

BORN in Napoli, Italy 28 Jun 1972, EDUCATED at University of Geneva/University of Teramo (Dr iuris 1996), University of Teramo (Dr rerum politicarum 2004), University of Genoa (Master’s 2005), University of Ferrara (Master’s 2006), University of Parma (PhD 2009), University of Teramo (LLM 2012).

Spouse

Andrea Dietschi Item The Countess of Rothes or Lady Rothes married 16 December 2000, and had four children.

Heir

Giulio Vittorio Item The Younger of Rothes born at Lugano, Switzerland 27 January 2013.

Earldom, Lordship and Barony of Rothes (1886)

The Earldom of Rothes is one of the most historically layered titles in Scottish history, bearing both peerage and baronial significance. Originally conferred in 1458 by King James II upon George Leslie, the creation of the Earldom coincided with the Crown’s grant of the territorial Barony of Ballinbreich. At this early stage, the title functioned within the framework of feudal nobility, whereby the dignity was inherently linked to territorial jurisdiction and ownership.

While the peerage dignity was unquestionably recognised by Parliament, the first recorded Crown Charter for the Earldom’s baronial (feudal) structure appears somewhat later, in a 1547 entry in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland. This entry documents the consolidation of lands, markets, offices and dignities into what was styled the “whole and free Lordship and Earldom, Barony, Burgh of Barony and Lordship of Leslie and Earldom of Rothes” — a clear indication that the Earldom carried with it significant territorial dignity within the baronage of Scotland.

The dual character of the title becomes especially important in the 19th century. Upon the death of George William Evelyn Leslie, 13th Earl of Rothes, in 1859, the peerage title passed to his sister Henrietta Anderson Morshead Leslie, who became the 14th Countess of Rothes in her own right. That same year, Queen Victoria issued a Crown Charter of Confirmation dated 19 October 1859, affirming Henrietta’s right to the baronial lands, fairs, tolls, and offices including the Sheriffdom of Fife — all encompassed within the feudal Earldom.

Upon the Countess’s death in 1886, however, a pivotal divergence occurred: the peerage Earldom passed by standard primogeniture to an aunt, as per the rules of peerage inheritance, while the feudal Earldom — then still tied to land ownership — had earlier been conveyed into trust and later passed through conveyancing. In 1919, Captain William Crundall acquired the baronial title along with the feudal estate, separating it definitively from the peerage line.

This separation was possible due to reforms in Scots law, particularly the Conveyancing (Scotland) Act 1874, which facilitated the independent transfer of feudal dignities by allowing superiority and land to be separated in law and treated more flexibly in conveyancing. This effectively duplicated many such titles — resulting in some noble dignities persisting in parallel: one as a peerage dignity, the other as a baronial dignity associated with land.

By 2004, the legal framework changed again: the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000, which came into force in November 2004, ended the feudal land system. Titles of barony and dignity were no longer real rights attached to land (heritable), but instead became incorporeal hereditaments — personal titles that could be assigned or inherited without land.

Today, the baronial Earl of Rothes remains a recognised title within the Baronage of Scotland, distinct from the peerage earl, both deriving from a common origin but representing separate legal identities. The baronial Earldom retains the cultural and territorial legacy of the original 15th-century creation and continues as a personal dignity, separate from the peerage system.

The late Sir Christopher Ondaatje, a noted explorer and philanthropist, was formally recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms as earl in the Scottish baronial tradition. This recognition affirmed the dignity’s continuity under heraldic law, even post-feudalism.

As of 2024 - Dario Item, Earl of Rothes succeeded to the baronial Earldom and Sheriffdom of Fife — titles which survive as historically-rooted, dignified styles within the Baronage of Scotland.

Hereditary Sheriffdom of Fife

The Sheriffdom of Fife is one of the oldest offices within the Scottish baronial tradition, dating to the 12th century under King David I. Sheriffdoms served as royal outposts of justice and governance, and Fife’s strategic importance made its sheriffdom particularly powerful.

By the 14th century, the office had become hereditary, often held by major landowning families such as the MacDuffs, Wemyss, and later the Leslies, Earls of Rothes. Hereditary sheriffs exercised real authority—overseeing local courts, collecting revenues, and commanding levies—often delegating duties to sheriff-deputes in Cupar and other towns.

The Heritable Jurisdictions Act of 1746, passed after the Jacobite uprising, abolished hereditary judicial powers and centralised authority under Crown-appointed sheriffs. The office became ceremonial but remained attached to noble estates, including the Rothes lands.

Today, while no legal powers remain, the dignity survives as a hereditary honour. In the 20th century, it passed with the baronial Earldom of Rothes. In the 21st century, Sir Christopher Ondaatje was recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms as Earl of Rothes and Sheriff of Fife. In 2024, the title passed to his successor - Dario Item, Earl of Rothes - who continues to hold this historic dignity within the Baronage of Scotland.